Search Results (44)

When education in STEM, social science, and the humanities are disconnected from each other and from place, it is inauthentic and nonresponsive to the lived experiences of people and communities. In rural spaces, the Food–Energy–Water (FEW) Nexus, a framework for problem solving and decision-making around these central resources, is salient because of the concentration of FEW resource production and extraction present. Storying the FEW Nexus is an interdisciplinary pedagogical framework that is theoretically rooted in a critical pedagogy of place and socio-ecological systems. Storying the FEW Nexus brings together these two related but distinct frameworks, calling attention to the need for relevant, place-based, and rural-focused narratives within STEM instruction. Developed for K-12 learners in rural places, Storying the FEW Nexus positions STEM knowledge and skills as resources that, alongside local narratives, are vital to the sustainability and viability of communities with unique and intertwined environmental justice histories and current realities. The FEW Nexus is leveraged to support rural learners in developing sustainable solutions to local socio-ecological systems issues. In this conceptual paper, we review the literature base supporting this integrated approach, describe the framework within the context of these aims, and make suggestions for researchers and practitioners. Full article

Policymakers face the challenge of increasing food and energy production while reducing nutrient pollution. Coastal hypoxic zones, often caused by human activity, are a key indicator of sustainability. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel framework that can be used by policymakers to assess strategies to reduce or eliminate hypoxic zones in coastal waters. The developed framework includes socioecological conditions by integrating the Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework and multiple thinking approaches (nexus, systems, and goal-oriented) with sustainable development goals (SDGs) and their targets, the food–energy–water (FEW) nexus, agricultural conservation practices (ACPs), and the collective knowledge from the published literature and experts, all applied to hypoxia in oceans. Four categories of ACPs with potential positive effects on hypoxia were identified: conservation cropping systems, conservation drainage systems, riparian buffer systems, and wetland systems. The Gulf of Mexico, a large hypoxic zone, served as a case study. The methods from the development of this framework may be tailored to some 500 global coastal hypoxic zones, covering 245,000 km² of oceans. Full article

The indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in buildings is vital for health, work efficiency, productivity, and the overall sustainability of buildings. IEQ is governed by four parameters: indoor air quality and thermal, acoustic, and visual comfort. The recent pandemic has compelled people to think beyond energy efficiency and refocus on the health, well-being, and productivity of building occupants. Despite numerous IEQ guidelines and standards, there remains a paucity of systematic research that critically examines the relationship between IEQ and building energy efficiency. This systematic review explores the existing equilibrium and identifies gaps between IEQ standards and building energy codes. Firstly, this review examined the status of the IEQ standards and identified that most of the North American IEQ guidelines cannot achieve energy efficiency targets. Secondly, existing building energy codes were reviewed to determine how well these codes fare with IEQ requirements. It was revealed that the expensive energy certification documents are more focused on IEQ than traditional energy codes. The identified factors indicate that most building energy codes can meet only indoor air quality thresholds (a subset of IEQ), while other parameters are inadequately addressed. This review revealed 19 relationships between IEQs and energy efficiency. Building energy code/IEQ guidelines developers could consider the identified 19 relationships to develop a combined set of guidelines/standards for future building stock. An integration model between IEQ and energy efficiency is proposed as a future research direction to contribute to the better design and construction of modern buildings. The findings will facilitate the construction of healthy and sustainable buildings, and they aim to generate new residential communities that achieve an optimal health–energy–carbon nexus. Full article

This article aims to add a further perspective to the discussion of the relationship between film and ethics. This perspective is important in today’s context, as the omnipresence of digital and mobile audiovisual images in everyday life increasingly determines our thinking and behaviour. However, there is a lack of appropriate critical reflection and ethical understanding of these images and their ontology. This article proposes a machine ethics of film from a film-philosophical perspective. Such an ethics draws on critical posthumanism, namely on Karen Barad’s “ethics of mattering”, which explicitly relates to Emmanuel Levinas’ philosophy of the Other and their death. Thereby, special attention is given to the ontological nexus of film and death, as well as to the idea of film’s spectrality (drawing on, e.g., Derrida, Barthes, and Leutrat), a context that is discussed along with Barad’s diffractive view on quantum entanglement. Following from the author’s earlier approaches to Barad’s agential realism in the context of film-philosophy and certain Heidegger-based arguments set out in earlier writings about film and death, this article introduces the figure of what is called the “machinic spectre of film”. From here, the outline of a possible spectral ethics of film is considered by giving reasons for the exploration of further questions. Full article

To overcome the multiple challenges of water scarcity, agricultural land conversion, food security, and carbon emissions, an optimal collaborative management scheme for food production is urgently needed, especially in high food-production and food-consumption countries such as China. The water–land–food–carbon (WLFC) nexus provides a new perspective, but its interactions are complex, dynamic, and spatially heterogeneous; the coupling mechanism is not fully understood; and the driving forces and regulation strategies remain uncertain. Therefore, in this study, the WLFC nexus centered on low-carbon and high-quality agricultural development was systematically reviewed. The main contributions are as follows: (1) A framework of the regional agricultural WLFC nexus was proposed based on bibliographic analysis. (2) The main internal and external factors influencing the WLFC nexus in agriculture were identified by reevaluating meta-analysis review studies. The results showed that changes in the amount and type of irrigation water, the amount and planting activities of agricultural land, and climate change (temperature, precipitation, and CO₂ concentration) affected food (rice, wheat, and maize) yields and carbon emissions to varying degrees. Moreover, population, technological innovation, trade, and polices were important external factors impacting food production and carbon emissions. (3) The common methods and tools for assessing, simulating, and optimizing the WLFC nexus in agriculture were summarized from the perspectives of its status, physical links, and embodied links. Integrated indices, complex system thinking, and process-based and data-driven methods were applied in the studies of the WLFC nexus. (4) Strategies and programs for collaborative WLFC management in agriculture within 10 global river basins were compiled. These findings could help us better understand the WLFC nexus in agriculture and identify the optimal cooperative management scheme, thereby realizing low-carbon and high-quality agricultural development. Full article

In this paper, we are interested in assessing the different environmental security concepts, policies, and actions of actors involved in the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Through exploratory qualitative research, we interviewed key stakeholders who formulate both the climate security discourse and its policy outcomes. Aiming at finding the different perceptions and practices among various actors, we conducted 27 qualitative interviews with practitioners from 17 different institutions, such as EU bodies and agencies, think tanks, and ministries of defense (MoDs). This article discusses the divergence between announced environmental and climate security strategies and policies related to their actual results. Notably, the findings indicate that the effectiveness of the political directives compared with the practices and the developed capabilities around the environment–security nexus are dependent on individual initiatives and efforts that a developing community of practitioners is attempting to carry out. Our study indicates that tailored environmental security policies and actions are needed to motivate both practitioners and policymakers to develop downstream methods and programs that are suited to resolving security-related challenges associated with environmental issues and especially climate change. Full article

The increasing prevalence of wicked problems, such as climate change, requires a transformation in education that equips students with the skills, competencies and knowledge to address these complex challenges. Wicked problems are characterised by their incomplete, contradictory, and ever-changing requirements, rendering them difficult to resolve due to intricate interdependencies. Nexus thinking offers a valuable approach to these problems, as it emphasises the interconnectedness of various systems, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges at hand. In this paper, we propose the use of Climate, Land, Energy, and Water (CLEWs) modelling as an innovative pedagogical strategy tool to cultivate nexus thinking among students. Building upon the pioneering CLEWs pedagogical work of Shivakumar et al., in their ‘Introduction to CLEWs’ Open Learn course, we demonstrate how this approach can be utilised in a Higher Education (HE) setting in the form of a Masters’ module for geography students. Full article

Sustainable energy systems based on efficiency, low-carbon, and smart technologies are essential for the future energy transition. A new integrated sustainability assessment framework (ISAF) is required to evaluate cross-cutting subjects and future research. Sustainability analysis based on conventional dimensions and complementary categories is needed for a digital energy transition. Industry 4.0 created a new platform and technological portfolio to improve the efficiency and automation of cleaner energy systems (lower environmental and social impacts and high performance). To address these aspects, a new methodology based on bibliometric analysis, systematic literature review, and energy systems thinking was developed. From Scopus and Web of Science databases, 1521 and 959 documents were respectively compiled and merged to select 181 articles related to these research subjects between 2017 and 2021. Out of this total, 62 articles from industrial manufacturing were identified as the most representative energy consumption sub-sector. These articles were analysed from the ISAF using conventional dimensions (environmental, economic, and social) and complementary categories of sustainability (technological innovation, governance and life cycle). The main findings reveal that worldwide studies addressing the nexus between Industry 4.0, Energy and Sustainability have increased significantly in recent years, primaly in high-income countries. These studies have centred on the industrial manufacturing subsector, assessing sustainability unevenly by focusing mainly on technological and environmental issues. Research gaps indicate that a comprehensive assessment of social, governance, and life cycle aspects is still required. Full article

A sustainable food system is a fundamental requirement for the ongoing functioning and growth of society. However, despite the critical importance of the food system from both economic and social perspectives, there are several political, environmental, and human capital issues which represent barriers to sustainable production. For example, in the United States, the need for more production capacity to feed a growing population is juxtaposed with a shrinking and aging food system workforce. The nexus of such fundamentally opposed issues represents a situation in which technical solutions may be insufficient. Using a three-round Delphi process with an expert panel, a total of 106 unique leadership competencies or behaviors were identified. The resulting behaviors and competencies were then thematically analyzed using the constant comparative method. The proposed food systems leadership model, named Issue Leadership, includes 39 subthemes and 7 primary themes. The primary themes include action; change; communication; critical thinking, strategic planning and visioning; interpersonal traits and characteristics; leadership skills; and leadership processes. This study establishes the unique context that agriculture and food systems represent and the necessity for leadership models that are competency- and practice-based. Full article

Worldwide, many developing countries are making efforts to achieve sustainability through the 17 SDGs and at the same time to contribute to environmental security. The Nexus approach enables a more integrated and sustainable use of resources that extends beyond traditional siloed thinking and is applicable at multiple scales. This is especially important in a globalized world where collaboration is becoming increasingly important for societies. In this framework, we present an analysis that will assist policymakers set priorities in investments by investigating the influence of the WEF nexus on the 17 SDGs and vice versa. Following the Nexus approach may thus enhance synergies and contribute to increased performance in connected SDGs that are positively influenced. In this article, we present an analysis that allows stakeholders to adapt it to their specific needs by entering new scores based on the characteristics of each case study; the results of this methodology should be considered in light of the specific conditions, including socio-cultural aspects and geographical, geopolitical, and governance realities, as well as the scale of the case study in question. A Fuzzy Cognitive Map analysis is also conducted on the scores to quantify SDG impact and identify the SDGs that most strongly “influence” nexus-coherent policies and the SDGs that are most strongly “influenced by” the nexus. This is achieved by analyzing the causality in this complex system of positive and negative interlinkages. Through this analysis, three SDGs, namely SDG 2 (Food), SDG 6 (Water) and SDG 7 (Energy), are indicated as the most influenced by the WEF nexus, revealing either synergies or trade-offs, while other SDGs are identified as having little interaction with the WEF nexus system. Full article

Water, energy, and food security are essential for maintenance and human survival. This research applied an approach for the water–energy–food system to a watershed in the Atlantic Rainforest in Southern Brazil. It is based on a WEAP system that was developed and evaluated future water demand scenarios for the 2020–2050 timespan. The Sustainability Index (SI) was used to assess the scenarios to propose an alternative to compare the current development trend. The results indicated that by 2050, the necessary flow for different water uses would be 78.75% greater than in 2020 while maintaining the present scenario (C_REF). Substituting part of the hydroelectric energy by photovoltaic solar energy (C_EAL), implementing watershed action masterplans as a water resource instrument (C_GES), and integrating these scenarios (C_INT) will reduce the current demand ranging from 8.96% to 24.59%. The average flow would decrease by 28.44% and 29.07%, respectively, by evaluating water availability in climatic change scenarios (C_MCL) for the RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. Compared with the reference scenario C_REF, C_INT presented an improved SI (0.1231), while C_MCL 8.5 presented the worse (−0.0047). Therefore, resources must be generated holistically so that one segment does not negatively impact the others. The findings highlight the pressing need for Santa Catarina State to implement effective management strategies targeting specific sectors, particularly the industrial and human consumption supply sectors. It is imperative to propose adaptation plans and implement actions that foster the reduction in water demands while also providing subsidies and guidance to the industrial sector on responsible water usage to prevent any negative impact on their productivity in the future. Comprehensive plans and policies should be formulated to ensure integration and coherence among various sectors involved in water resource management. Full article

The 2030 global agenda for sustainable development integrates social, economic, and environmental dimensions, emphasizing peace, human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment. The SDG framework, consisting of 17 goals, 169 targets (SDTs), and 231 indicators (SDIs), forms a complex, interconnected network that necessitates extensive research. Despite prior studies on SDG interlinkages, the integration of Climate Change (CC), Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), collectively known as CSI Nexus, remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by identifying SDTs aligned with CC, SFM, and ICT (CSI) and analyzing their linkages within the SDG framework using a systems thinking approach. The objectives are to (1) investigate and identify SDTs connected with the CSI Nexus and (2) assess the significant relationship between and among CC, SFM, and ICT. The primary method involves a simplified meta-analysis and systems thinking approach incorporating content analysis, network visualization, affiliation matrix mapping, frequency distributions, and Spearman’s rho correlation. Results reveal 56 SDTs directly connected within CC + SFM + ICT, 16 within CC + SFM, one within SFM + ICT, and 51 within ICT + CC. The analysis indicates CC is significantly associated with SFM, while ICT has no significant association with CC and SFM, asserting minimal influence of ICT and SFM on the SDG 2030 framework. This research provides significant insights for decision-makers and stakeholders, contributing as a science-informed guide for priority-setting, policy coherence, and decision-making supporting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals across sectors. Full article

Blocking regional communication is the beginning of the deterioration and even destruction of civilization. Accessibility is the principal condition for the development of mountain areas and the first barrier to the breakthrough of tourism. In this context, the lack of unified transportation planning and analysis of tourists’ perceptions leads to poor accessibility and consequently the sustainable development of tourist destinations. This paper considers Yading Airport, the highest civil airport in the world, located in the mountainous area of southwest China, as an example. Based on the computed results of traffic accessibility, this research elucidates tourists’ perception with Nexus Thinking of sustainability. Furthermore, in light of deconstructing the connotation of accessibility by questionnaire, subdivision dimensions together with certain factors are paraphrased. The paper ultimately puts forward the following concepts: (1) The perception of accessibility represents invariant material form in the subjectivity space and attributes of the flow space; (2) Taking perception as the variable, evaluation of accessibility is considered affected by residents’ attitudes; (3) Tourism accessibility represents the duality between tourist flow and airport security management. These conclusions demonstrate that, in certain regions, tourism has an effect on integrating elements and constructing identity. Relevant suggestions are presented in this paper for sustainable development that relate to tourism in mountainous areas. Full article

The United Nations Member States created a common roadmap for sustainability and development in 2015. The UN-SDGs are included in the 2030 Plan as an immediate call to action from all nations in the form of global partnerships. To date, a handful of countries have achieved substantial progress toward the targets. The climate–water–energy–food nexus is being advocated as a conceptual method for achieving sustainable development. According to research, frameworks for adopting nexus thinking have not been the best solution to clearly or sufficiently include thoughts on sustainability. Therefore, there is much room for other solutions; these are in the form of newer Fourth Industrial Revolution digital technologies, as well as transitioning from a linear economy to a circular economy. In this paper, we come to understand these two models and their linkages between climate, water, energy, and food; their application and challenges, and, finally, the effects on the UN-SDGs. It was found that both circular economy and newer Fourth Industrial Revolution digital technologies can positively support the nexus as well as directly address the UN-SDGs, specifically SDGs 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13. Full article

Environmental protection is an important key to achieving sustainable development. Since humans depend on the environment in countless ways, preserving them contributes directly to the sustaining of people and human societies and hence, to social sustainability. The central question in this dissertation asks why the environmental protection policies enacted in Madagascar are not efficient and how they impact the SDG’s achievement at the national level. This paper discusses Madagascar’s achievements of the sustainable development target with special emphasis on environmental issues, which is currently a major concern in the country. This review aimed at suggesting improvements in line with the challenges the country is facing by reviewing the indicators provided by the UN SDGs. It also reaffirmed the nexus of poverty and the environment, which is important for setting the development target. In order to conduct this study, journal articles, review papers, working papers, research reports, and books related to environmental management and sustainable development in Madagascar were reviewed. Madagascar has made a little improvement in accomplishing SDGs 12 and 13 in 2021, but achieving all SDGs goals in 2030 remains a big challenge. The country is a party to numerous international environmental conventions, treaties, and agreements. Many policy changes have been implemented to address both conservation and development issues, but these efforts have had little impact. Forest fires and slash-and-burn were on the rise in Madagascar on October 2022, which poses a major concern for the economic and social development of the island. In order to achieve sustainable development, environmental protection shall constitute an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it. The strategies proposed in this paper might be helpful for the Malagasy government and private sector in decision-making. This paper is also useful for researchers in developing countries. As Madagascar did not reach the Millennium Development Goals 2015 and will not achieve the SDGs in 2030, should we not start learning from our mistakes and thinking about the post-SDGs? Full article